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Ben Hammott
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An Insatiable Thirst for Murder: Serial Killer Henry Holmes - The Novel Kindle Edition

by Ben Hammott (Author), Bill Wilkinson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.9 out of 5 stars 33 ratings
If your hear him lock the door, you are already dead!

"An atmospheric dramatization of a true crime mystery using source documents and the investigations carried out by detective Frank Geyer to portray a believable and disturbing account of the heinous murders and crimes of the serial killer, Henry H. Holmes."

"Insightful thoughts of some characters during their impending death make it too easy to identify with the horror of what they experienced. By the time I got to the end of some parts, I was out of breath, literally!"

"Grabs your concentration by the throat with every horrific and appalling act carried out by H. H. Holmes and never lets go. The scenes are so well written that you find yourself witnessing everything as if you were there."

"This well researched dramatization of the Chicago serial killer, Henry Holmes, because it's based on actual events, isn't something that's always easily digestible; it sits in your gut and gnaws at your insides. It becomes part of your subconscious. You think of it long after you have laid the book aside. No punches are pulled to describe the horrendous crimes carried out by this cold hearted killer."

"Hammott's writing is easy to read. He has a real knack for creating great descriptions of scenes, characters, and murderous action."

"Absorbingly horrific. As if it were a plane crash that you just can't look away from, because you're intrigued as to how and what will happen next."

"An absorbing read that will remain with you long after you've turned the last page."

"The prose is very descriptive and emotive. It actually gave me quite an emotional kick in the gut when Holmes's murderous appetite focused on the children. No one was safe from this man."

"As fascinating as it is shocking."

This book contains the shocking dramatization of real events carried out by the serial killer, Henry Howard Holmes.

America's first documented serial killer, Henry Howard Holmes, holds a dubious and ghastly record that few serial killers in history have surpassed. The 19th century killer is thought to have committed over 200 murders, but, for unexplained reasons, appears to have been overlooked by many true crime enthusiasts. Set partly in the era when "Jack the Ripper" was terrorizing the foggy streets of London with his gruesome slayings in the 19th century, Holmes was committing his nefarious crimes in America, undetected.

Holmes, a handsome, well dressed gentleman with high intelligence, was a murderer and accomplished conman. Charm and trust were his most effective weapons and he welded them as expertly as any surgeon would a scalpel.

To achieve an easy way to entrap and dispose of his intended victims, Holmes constructed a huge building that when his crimes were revealed, the newspapers of the time named the "Murder Hotel." And this is a fair description as there can be no doubt the building was constructed for the sole purpose of killing his victims and the disposal of their corpses. Though the majority of his victims were women he charmed and ensnared in his murderous grasp, he also murdered men and children.
As the trial judge said when charging the jury responsible for convicting Holmes: "Truth is stranger than fiction, and if the story is true—(and it was proven to be true)—it is the most wonderful exhibition of the power of mind over mind I have ever seen, and stranger than any novel I have ever read."

After 2 years of research and consultation with modern day serial killer profilers, I believe this to be the most accurate dramatized account of America's first documented serial killer, Henry Holmes.

#serialkiller #murder #truecrime #holmes #thriller
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  1. Print length
    430 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    June 15, 2015
  4. File size
    4.0 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
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From the Publisher

serial killer, Henry Howard Holmes banner

Based on a Shocking True Crime Story

An Insatiable Thirst for Murder: Serial Killer Henry Holmes - The Novel, contains the shocking dramatizations of real events carried out by the serial killer, Henry Howard Holmes.

Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as H.H. Holmes was America's First Documented Serial Killer

H. H. Holmes Serial Killer Photograph

The crimes of H.H. Holmes

Herman Webster Mudgett, better known as H.H. Holmes, was a con artist, a bigamist and was one of America's first serial killers.

Sometimes referred to as the 'Beast of Chicago,' Holmes is believed to have killed somewhere between 20 and 200 people, including men, women and children. He killed many of his victims in a specially constructed home, which was later nicknamed the "Murder Castle." Apprehended in 1894, Holmes was hanged for his crimes two years later, but was only convicted for the murder of his friend and business partner, .

1885 - Holmes moved to Chicago, Illinois. Using his now infamous alias, Dr. Henry H. Holmes, through nefarious means, he took over a pharmacy.

Holmes had a three-story building constructed nearby vacant lot, creating an elaborate house of horrors.

1893 Columbian Exposition - Holmes opened up his home as a hotel for visitors. Unfortunately, many guests did not survive in what became known as the "Murder Castle." Many of these victims — no one knows for certain the total number — were women who were seduced, swindled and then killed. Holmes had a habit of getting engaged to a woman, only for his fiancée to suddenly "disappear." Other victims were lured there by the offer of employment.

H. H. Holmes - Murder Castle in Chicago

Built to entrap his victims - The Murder Castle

In 1894, some police officers inspected the hotel while Holmes was out. During the inspection, they found rooms with hinged walls and false partitions, rooms linked with secret passageways, and even airtight rooms that were connected to pipelines filled with gas, which Holmes used as gas chambers.

Holmes would use chutes to deliver the bodies to the basement, and once there, he made use of surgical tables and an array of medical tools to dissect them before selling their organs and bones on the black market and to medical institutions.

The hotel was gutted by a fire started by an unknown arsonist shortly after Holmes was arrested but was largely rebuilt and used as a post office until 1938.

The Hunt for H. H. Holmes and Trial of America's First Serial Killer

The Hunt for H. H. Holmes and Trial of America's First Serial Killer (Illustrated) + 4 more books

The Hunt for H. H. Holmes and Trial of America's First Serial Killer (Illustrated)

4 Books in 1 Edition. Considered to be the best non-fiction account of Holmes Crimes, frauds, capture and trial.

"An informative and exciting true crime mystery following the investigations of Detective Frank Geyer as he unravels the heinous crimes of the serial killer, Henry Holmes."

Book material includes:

  • HOLMES CONFESSIONS - With Moyamensing Prison Diary Appendix
  • HOLMES CONFESSES 27 MURDERS - THE MOST AWFUL STORY OF MODERN TIMES TOLD BY THE FIEND IN HUMAN SHAPE
  • THE TALE OF THE GREATEST CRIMINAL IN HISTORY
  • HOLMES' MURDER CASTLE
  • WAS HOLMES JACK THE RIPPER?

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00ZS2I70A
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ BestBooks Publications
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 15, 2015
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 1st
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4.0 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 430 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 out of 5 stars 33 ratings

About the author

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Ben Hammott

Ben Hammott

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Former global adventurer, currently a writer of thrillers, with a mind full of monsters. Ben Hammott is a British author living in England with his human family and more than the average number of cats.

Most of his published works fall under the broad category of ‘thriller,’ getting there by way of horror, fantasy or historical mystery. Two of his many novels, ‘Hell Ship: The Flying Dutchman’ and ‘Ice Rift,’ are now available on audio.

Though now firmly based back in the UK, he wrote most of his books while travelling across Europe, until a certain global pandemic forced a change of direction. Until that point, he could genuinely style himself as something of an adventurer and explorer, making a few small discoveries and finding his way into locations not seen by the public in decades (including one small misadventure in a dinghy that’s still a sore spot for the person who leant it to him).

When he’s not writing, Ben spends his time exploring his passion for resin moulding and 3D printing, and constructing ever more new climbing places for his cats, while insisting to anybody who will listen that he’s not a cat person.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
33 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • frankie'sgirl
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well Written
    Reviewed in the United States on September 6, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Very well written. The author clearly states that the book is a novel; however after reading Devil and the White City and biographical materials on H. H. Holmes, the only liberties the author seemed to take with the factual account were private conversations and personal scenes. He obviously did his homework.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Bill
    4.0 out of 5 stars Very Detailed Telling of a warped mind
    Reviewed in the United States on August 7, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Considerable research went into writing the book. It follows Holmes as he perptrates scam after scam, until he’s finally caught. You have to be disgusted by him by the time you are done.
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  • Dan
    2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointingly Uninteresting
    Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    With such an interesting topic, I was expecting the author to flesh out the characters and bring some life to the time period involved. Instead, this reads like assembly instructions. This happens, then this, then something else.
    I realize that it's based on facts, yet if you're going to invent dialogue, you could go a bit further into description and make the people into characters so the reader has something to care about. As it stands, this book takes one of America's most heinous crime sprees and makes it an utterly boring affair.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Ted
    3.0 out of 5 stars The guy was nuts
    Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2019
    Verified Purchase
    The ingenious ways of killing and disposal of the remains. The long drawn out court case. Became boring and not worth reading.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Good book
    One person found this helpful
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  • BhB
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating story but --
    Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Fascinating story but could have been paced better. Once he was arrested, the author gave every tiny detail of his questioning and so on. I got bored and quit.
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  • kybookworm
    5.0 out of 5 stars A real-life monster!
    Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2016
    An Insatiable Thirst for Murder is the perfect title for this book, because an insatiable thirst for murder is exactly what Henry Holmes had. He is known as America’s first recorded serial killer, but he should be known as the worst. We’ve had other monsters in this country in the years since Holmes, but none as bad as he was Many serial killers stick to one kind of victim, but Holmes killed women, men, and even children. And he even constructed a hotel designed specifically to make it easy to kill people and dispose of their bodies.

    If someone made up a fictional character like Holmes, it would be unbelievable, but as they say, truth is stranger than fiction. Ben Hammott has done a fantastic job of telling the story of the monster that was Holmes. He takes the historical facts and dramatizes them in a very entertaining way. If you like true crime, you’ll love this book, but be warned, it might keep you up at night.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Maria
    4.0 out of 5 stars An Insatiable Thirst for Murder.
    Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2015
    I'd recommend this book to historical fiction and non-fiction fans.
    The book is a dramatisation of the murder spree of H.H.Holmes during the 1880s and 1890s primarily in Chicago.
    The story was fascinating and enhanced by photographs of the main characters and the locations some of the murders took place. If I hadn't been aware the story was based on facts I would have said the plot was unbelievable especially as he was actually caught out because of horse rustling and an insurance scam rather than his bigamous marriages and the frequent disappearances of guests staying in his specially designed hotel.
    The writing style was at the mid point between fiction and non-fiction. It lacked the usual fiction techniques of building suspense and character empathy but with the dialogue and descriptions it was far more engaging than a straight forward non-fictional account. The gruesome and bizarre story of Mr Holmes held my interest throughout.
    I was entertained and learnt about an unusual character I had no previous knowledge of and also a real flavour of Chicago of the time period.
    4 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • D M Harrison
    4.0 out of 5 stars An amazing tale
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    I was really swept away by the true story I'd never heard of before - how come Jack the Ripper is so well known? Henry Holmes defies belief - a conman and a serial killer- he built a hotel to murder people and dispose of their bodies....
    I didn't give it 5 stars because I was slightly disappointed by the editing/proofing that would have made it a much better read. I accept that it wasn't fiction but I think Henry's personality should have shone through a bit more.
    Definitely worth reading...
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